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Rights and Freedoms
20 January 2021News story
Australia’s human rights status for international review
The Australian Government will appear before the UN Human Rights Council this evening where it will present an update of the country’s human rights record. It’s the third time Australia has appeared before Universal Periodic Review (UPR)— a unique process reviewing the human rights situations in all 193 UN member countries, every four-and-a-half years. The UPR process allows the Australian ... -
24 April 2015Book page
3 Promotion and protection of human rights on the ground
3.1 Equality before the law and non-discrimination (a) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has yet to be implemented in law, policy and practice. [12] Recommendation: The Commission recommends that Government develop, in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, a National Strategy to give effect to the ... -
Education6 March 2013Speech
Education and Human Rights – Recognising one, realising all
Speech delivered by Professor Gillian Triggs, former President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, on the topic of the right to equality and education. -
Technology and Human Rights
15 May 2023Opinion piece‘Weaponised' AI an existential threat to truth, human rights
This opinion piece by Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay appeared in The Australian on Monday 15 May 2023. In George Orwell's 1984, the Ministry of Truth exercises absolute control of information according to The Party ethos, “Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present, controls the past”. If the Ministry of Truth existed today, a more accurate slogan would be “Who ... -
Commission – General
13 March 2023Opinion pieceA national Human Rights Act needs to be introduced in Australia
Opinion piece by Commission President Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM, first published in the Canberra Times. -
Rights and Freedoms
15 May 2017Webpage
OPCAT Consultation Page
Learn how Australia ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT). -
Legal
14 December 2012WebpageA Human Rights Guide to Australia's Counter-Terrorism Laws
This guide provides a basic overview of Australia’s counter-terrorism laws from a human rights perspective. It discusses the following questions: -
Commission – General
4 February 2022Publication
Annual Report 2000-2001: Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
The Commission's vision is of and for an Australian society in which the human rights of all people are respected and promoted. Our task is to find practical, pragmatic ways to turn the rhetoric of human rights into an everyday reality for all Australians and build a more tolerant and inclusive community. As this report indicates, this past year has been a period of substantial achievement as we strive towards this goal. -
14 December 2012Book page
Human rights - what do I need to know? (2008)
All Australians have human rights. Human rights are universal: they are for everyone, everywhere, everyday. Human rights are based on values such as freedom, equality and dignity and seek to protect our quality of life. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Webpage
Links to Human Rights Organisations and Resources
This website contains links to other websites that are external to the Australian Human Rights Commission. The Commission takes reasonable care in linking websites but has no direct control over the content of the linked sites, or the changes that may occur to the content on those sites. It is the responsibility of the user to make their own decisions about the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of information contained in linked external websites. -
14 December 2012Book page
Intersections between the Law, Religion and Human Rights Project
Schofield King Lawyers was contracted by the Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commision) to investigate intersections between the law, religion and human rights focusing on: -
Race Discrimination
13 October 2023Media ReleaseCommission President calls for human rights in Australia to be upheld in wake of Middle East conflict
The President of the Australian Human Rights Commission is calling for respect for human rights to be front of mind for all Australians as the situation in the Middle East continues to worsen. Commission President and Acting Race Discrimination Commissioner Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM said: “The devastating conflict in Israel and Gaza and its horrific civilian fallout is impacting ... -
3 January 2014Book page
2 Background and framework for promotion and protection of human rights
2.1 Scope of international obligations During Australia’s review, the Government made a commitment to improving Australia’s monitoring of its international human rights obligations. Australia is a party to seven of the core human rights treaties and maintains a number of reservations under these. The Australian Government made a commitment to conduct a comprehensive review of such reservations by ... -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
20 June 2023Media ReleaseInspection report: Serious human rights concerns in hotel detention
Explore an inspection report by the Commission that found serious human rights concerns persist in the use of hotels as alternative places of detention. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Speech
President speech: Using human rights to inform administrative decision-making
The right to non-discrimination on the basis of sex and immigration regulations: Abdulaziz, Cabales and Balkandali v The United Kingdom (28 May 1985) Eur Court HR -
Rights and Freedoms
17 January 2019Project
Free and Equal: An Australian conversation on human rights
What makes an effective system of human rights protection for 21st century Australia? What are we doing well and what steps do we still need to take? -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
19 June 2013Speech
Australian Government’s third country processing regime & human rights
Explore a speech delivered by the former President of the Human Rights Commission, Professor Gillian Triggs, to the Refugee Advice and Casework Service. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Speech
President speeches: Human Rights in Australia
Thank you for inviting me here today to speak about human rights in Australia. I would like to use this opportunity to focus on how human rights are protected in Australia; and how you, as human rights educators, can help students to understand these protections. I will also seek to shed some light on the role of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and some of our responses to some current human rights issues. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Speech
Seventh International Conference for National Human Rights Institutions
Torture and various forms of terrorism have been practiced throughout history, though never on the scale we are now confronted with. The first visual records of police interrogation were discovered in a four thousand year old tomb in ancient Egypt. Since the pharaohs there have been many refinements in methods of inducing physical pain and gathering intelligence, most notably during the Spanish Inquisition, but more recently in the modern totalitarian state. -
Rights and Freedoms
12 November 2015Speech
Introduction of the Religious Freedom Roundtable
Thank you. Thank you to the Attorney-General for his presence this morning. I know he has to run because he has commitments in Canberra, but I greatly appreciate his efforts to come this morning to support the discussions we are about to have. I’d also like to thank the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Professor Gillian Triggs, who will be present for part of this morning as an observer.